Why preventive care is important

Remember the old saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? This can be especially true when it comes to preventive health care. Maintaining or improving your health is important - and a focus on regular preventive care, along with following the advice of your doctor, can help you stay healthy.

Dermatomyositis

Feb 12, 2005 Viewed: 415

Definition
Dermatomyositis is connective-tissue disease that is characterized by inflammation of the muscles and the skin.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The cause of this disorder is unknown. It is theorized that an autoimmune reaction or a viral infection of the skeletal muscle may cause the disease. It can affect people at any age, but most commonly occurs in people 40 to 60 years old, or in children from 5 to 15 years old.

It affects women much more often than men. Muscle weakness may appear suddenly or occur slowly over weeks or months. There may be difficulty with raising the arms over the head, rising from a sitting position, and climbing stairs.

A dusky, purplish red rash may appear over the face, neck, shoulders, upper chest, and back. Joint pain, inflammation of the heart, and lung (pulmonary) disease may occur.

A malignancy may sometimes be associated with this disorder. A similar condition is called polymyositis when the symptoms occur without any skin manifestations.

Symptoms

Muscles weak, stiff or sore

Butterfly rash

Upper eyelids purple/violet colored

Muscle weakness

Red, dusky skin rash

Difficulty swallowing

Shortness of breath

Skin redness or inflammation

Signs and tests
During a physical examination, the doctor will identify muscle weakness and the typical rash.

Tests may include:

Electromyography, showing inflammation in muscles

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

A muscle biopsy

An elevated serum creatine phosphokinase

An elevated serum aldolase

ECG

Treatment
The disease is treated with corticosteroid medications or other immunosuppressive drugs. When an improvement of muscle strength is achieved, the medication is slowly tapered. Maintenance therapy with prednisone is often continued indefinitely.

If the condition is associated with a tumor, the condition may improve if the tumor is removed.

Expectations (prognosis)
Remissions and recovery have been reported, especially in children. In adults, death may result from severe and prolonged muscle weakness, malnutrition, pneumonia, or respiratory failure. The outcome is usually worse if cardiac or pulmonary involvement is present.

Complications

Acute renal failure

Associated malignancy

Cardiac, pulmonary, or abdominal Complications

Calling your health care provider
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you experience the signs and symptoms of dermatomyositis.

Last revised: December 5, 2012by David A. Scott, M.D.

Medical Encyclopedia

All ArmMed Media material is provided for information only and is neither advice nor a substitute for proper medical care. Consult a qualified healthcare professional who understands your particular history for individual concerns.

It's easy to make a financial decision based on what you need right now, but making an informed choice will benefit you in the long run. Meet a former Red Sox pitcher who picked security over an uncertain future